


End of the Line

by goldenshell



Series: You're Safe with Me Because of Me [3]
Category: MandoPony - Fandom, NateWantsToBattle - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Angst, Arrest, Criminal AU, Fake Character Death, Fluff, If you think of other tags to add, Light Angst, M/M, Police, let me know, light fluff, tw blood, tw death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-10-11 19:56:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17453282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenshell/pseuds/goldenshell
Summary: When Andy finally stumbles into trouble Nate can't get him out of, they have to figure out a way to mislead the consequences.





	1. Bad Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Andy gets himself into trouble.

It was another bad day for Andy. He had been on the morning shift at work and was getting frustrated with customers left and right. Thankfully he stayed calm and in control but his boss told him to skip his afternoon shift and go home. Andy wouldn't have minded working more, it was a nice distraction for him. But his boss telling him to go home just rubbed him the wrong way because he _couldn’t_ talk back and he didn't want to try and insist he should work.

Now he was just walking home since he wasn't going to be working and his boss probably wouldn't let him. He decided to take the long way around so he could stop by the store and get some stuff to make dinner tonight. He had planned to stop later with Nate but he wouldn't be off work for at least another hour, so he decided to just go alone and text Nate where he was going.

As he walked, he had his eyes trained on the ground, hands shoved in his pockets. He didn’t need to look directly in front of him, just see the ground where he was stepping to make sure he didn’t run into things or people. He stepped around people as he walked, heading straight for the store. It actually wasn’t too bad. For being a busy outdoor mall, it wasn’t too crowded. He might actually be able to get in the store, get what he needs and get home without much hassle, and wouldn’t that be nice.

And of course luck would just have it that he wouldn’t be able to just fly on by without having to deal with anyone.

As he got closer to the store, he noticed a small group of people crowded outside the front, swarming about in an almost circle, loud shouts coming from them. As Andy walked by and tried to keep his head down the group started moving in his direction and soon he was stuck trying to get through people. Just great.

As Andy tried to worm by someone, they shouted at him and shoved him. Andy growled softly and shouldered the person aside. But as he was just about to get away, he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt. In a second, Andy was turned around to face the person who grabbed him, hand at their throat and free hand going to hit them in the gut. They tried to curl up while also trying to get his hands off their throat.

Andy forced them back into the wall of the store, his hands tightening around their throat as he just glared at them. He almost lost his grip as they squirmed. No one seemed to notice the person’s struggle, as they tried to kick Andy, doing anything to try and make him let them go. But as they struggled to breathe, their kicks, which weren’t very strong to begin with, got weaker.

He was so focused on them and keeping his grip tight that he hadn’t heard the police sirens approaching. He didn’t even notice the other people fleeing. He was too focused on the person in front of them to even pay attention to the world around him.

It wasn’t until someone grabbed Andy’s arm and tried to pull him off the person that he heard the sirens. As the realization of what was happening hit him, he started to panic. He let go of the person in front of him, and backing away, bumping into the person that had just tried to pull him off. The person Andy was choking collapsed to the floor gasping for air as they laid there. Andy stared at them, his eyes wide with fear as he realized just what he’d done. And the fact that the police had gotten there and seen him almost kill a person just made everything worse.

Andy slowly sunk to the floor as he realized that he was probably going to be arrested because he almost killed someone and others _saw_. Tears started to roll down his cheeks as his mind ran a mile a minute, thinking of everything that could and was probably going to happen. He’s going to get arrested, Nate’s going to be upset with him, Andy won’t get to see Nate. They’re going to arrest him for Sabrina’s murder because they finally have him in custody.

When the police told him to put his hands up, he slowly raised them. Andy flinched when he felt the handcuff tighten around one of his wrists. He just stared ahead at the person who had grabbed him as the officer read him his rights. A scowl formed on Andy’s face as he realized that it’s _their_ fault he’s being arrested. Had they not grabbed him he wouldn't have attacked them. He wouldn’t be here getting arrested.

Everything between being cuffed and arriving at the station was a blur as all he could focus on was his anger towards the person who pulled him into the fight and the fear of what would happen to him.

He vaguely remembered being forced to walk to a police car, some talking from the police, then there they were at the station. And there was Nate. Why was Nate there? He shouldn’t be here. He should be at the lab. Oh god. He saw Andy in handcuffs being taken to one of the holding cells. Andy felt the tears start to form again as he looked down at the floor away from Nate. He couldn’t look at Nate, he _knew_ he was disappointed. He was stupid and got himself in trouble.

As he sat in the cell curled up on the floor by the door, he rubbed at his wrists quietly and hit his head back against the bars repeatedly. Why did he let himself get into a fight? He’s going to go to jail. They’re going to put together that he killed Sabrina. He was screwed.

“You’re going to hurt yourself doing that, love.”

Andy jumped at the sound of Nate’s voice, scrambling to get up and turn to look at where his voice came from. For a second he smiled, but then it disappeared completely when he remembered where he was and that Nate was probably very upset with him. When Nate was close enough for Andy to reach, he grabbed for his hands and pulled them close as he mumbled out sorries to him.

Nate sighed and pulled a hand away to cup Andy’s cheek as he spoke softly, “It’s fine, Andy. You’re fine. You don’t have to apologize. Just tell me what happened.”

Quietly, Andy explained what had happened earlier, Nate just nodding quietly as he listened. They stood there for a bit, talking quietly so others couldn’t hear. But it wasn’t long before a police officer coming to get someone else saw them and made Nate leave, much to the disappointment of Andy.

* * *

 

It was just over a day later that they learned what Andy’s bail would be. When Nate found out that it was just over five hundred thousand dollars, he was glad he had been setting aside money for bail in case either of them ever got caught. They were also lucky Andy was even getting bail because he had been dragged into a fight. Had the fight not happened out in front of the store he probably wouldn’t even be allowed bail.

They walked quietly for the first few blocks before Nate finally broke the silence. “They might try to pin Sabrina’s death on you. I don’t think they’ll be able to, but you were her boyfriend and they just learned you can be violent,” he said softly, making sure no one heard them.

Andy tensed up when he heard Sabrina’s name. It had been almost three years since that day and it hadn’t been brought up to him in a long time. He even finally got past worrying that they were going to charge him with her death. “Do you think they could convict me?” he asked softly as his grip on Nate’s hand tightened.

“With the evidence they have. There’s a high chance they couldn’t convince a jury. But there’s the low chance that a jury seeing you as aggressive might just persuade them,” Nate said as he gently rubbed circles over Andy’s knuckles with his thumb. When Nate glanced at Andy and saw just how worried he looked, he stopped walking and turned Andy to face him. “Don’t worry. I’m going to find a way to get you out of this. Just trust me. Okay?”

“Okay,” Andy said softly as he nodded. He let go of Nate’s hand and moved to hug him.

Nate returning the hug and gently rubbing Andy’s back before pulling away, “Now let’s get home.” Andy nodded again and grabbed Nate’s hand as they started to walk again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the outlines for the next two chapters written out, I just have to write them. I should have the next chapter up by next week. And the third up the week after that. I do plan on finishing this as I actually have a set end in mind.
> 
> Also, if you have a better idea for a main title, let me know.
> 
> Also Disclaimer: While I do ship Andy and Nate, I know they aren't gay. I ship their personalities, not them as people. I could easily change the character names in this to different names and the story would be the same. Or I could just exclude the tags that gave away who Nate and Andy were since the names are so generic. But I'm not doing that is because it's based on the personas they put on when online, as well as so others who might ship them can find this. (It's so rare to find Andy/Nate.)


	2. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nate comes up with a plan and starts getting everything ready for it.

Nate didn't have long to think about how to get Andy out of going to court. He had no way to change any of the evidence. He couldn't claim that Andy wasn't violent - he could but it probably wouldn't hold any weight considering he almost killed a person. Avoiding court would just allow for them to put out a search. He needed to turn the police’s attention away from him. 

He sat on the couch thinking out loud, the news on in the background as he jotted down different ideas in a notebook. He was up later than he normally was, but they were running out of time and he needed to come up with something to get Andy out of this before they could take him away. It was only a month before the trial and it was only a matter of time before they started finding ways to pin Sabrina’s death on Andy.

When the couch shifted, Nate snapped out of his thoughts—he hadn’t even realized he was zoning out. He looked to see Andy sitting next to him, his eyes focused on the notebook in Nate’s lap. Andy softly mumbled as he read out the different ideas Nate had written. Nate glanced back at his notebook before looking at Andy. “Couldn't sleep?” he asked, leaning over to kiss Andy on the cheek. 

Andy shook his head as he started to bite his knuckle. He glanced up from the notebook to look at Nate before resting his head on his shoulder as he stopped biting his finger. “I woke up after like an hour,” he said, stifling a yawn. 

Nate sighed as he closed the notebook and set it aside on the couch armrest. He adjusted how he sat so he could comfortably wrap an arm around Andy’s shoulders. “Don't worry. We’re going to get through this. I'm going to figure something out,” Nate said as he leaned back into the cushions and turned his attention to the TV. 

He was ready to let himself fall asleep as he sat there with Andy. While he'd prefer to be in bed, he didn't want to make Andy move. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against Andy’s, relaxing a bit, letting the TV run quietly as background noise. 

Nate wouldn't sleep like this. He could try, but he'd always be half awake. It was a good thing he was half awake too, because not long after Andy had fallen asleep, the news reported a story that gave Nate an idea. “Search for missing man called off when he turned up dead.” 

“Dave Foster was reported missing about a month ago by his wife, Luanne. All trails had gone cold until last night when a park goer found a man washed up on the bank of Lake Balboa in Beilenson Park. While Mr. Foster’s cause of death is unknown we urge you all to be careful out there if you’re out alone.”

That was it. That was their ticket to getting the cops attention off of Andy. Fake his death.

* * *

 

It was easy to get Andy to agree to the idea. Of course, he was hesitant at first, but he trusted Nate and was willing to do almost anything so he wouldn’t go to prison.

He wasn’t okay with having to get his blood drawn for it to work, but he didn’t want to be taken away from Nate. So he agreed to it.

The plan, as far as Andy knew, was to leave a lot of his blood in an alley and report him as missing so that it seemed like he was attacked and bled out, his body being disposed of in a sewer that goes out to sea. Since they couldn’t take enough at once to make it seem like he bled out they had to take a bit a few different times.

Aside from having to get his blood drawn, Andy didn’t have much to do for the plan. for the most part, Nate tried to get him to go out at least once a week so no one wonders why the one day he does go out after being released on bail he ends up dead.

Then it was just up to Nate to plant the blood and a few others things to make it seem like Andy was killed. He also had to take care of the part of the plan Andy didn't know. Which was that Nate was going to throw a body into the sewer. That way, if anyone did go to looking, they would find something. 

Nate decided to put one of the criminals he was keeping tabs on to good use. He was going to grab this guy that was just younger than Andy but had about the same build. He had no family in the area and no one he kept regular contact with. This guy was a loner, just what Nate needed. No one to miss him. No one to identify him and ruin the plan. He wasn't the worst Nate had dealt with, stealing from people and killing whoever happened to be home, but he was still cruel and no one would think to identify him as the burglar.

While the guy always killed those he took from if they were home, he was definitely not a good fighter. He always had surprise on his side. But this time, with Nate surprising him, he went down with ease. No doubt a coward. If even one of the people he robbed fought back, he probably would have been apprehended already. Though this made Nate’s job easier.

He grabbed the guy the day before they were going to plant everything. He would have waited for the day of, but because he needed to drain the blood so they couldn't pull DNA from that, he needed time and privacy that a public place like an alley wouldn’t provide. He took him to a secluded area in a junkyard, using one of the empty trailers that was marked to be destroyed within the week to work. He tried his best to keep the blood contained to a bucket so it would be easier to dispose of, and whatever didn't fall into the bucket at least fell onto the tarp. As far as Andy knew, he was out at the store and wouldn’t be home until late.

As soon as he was done draining the guy’s blood, he dismembered his hands and feet, mutilated his face, and slashed up his chest. While the guy had a similar build to Andy, if they checked his finger prints, they'd know it wasn't him. Nate just had to be cautious. If one thing went wrong with this plan, they would know Andy is alive, they would put a search out for him, and he would be caught. It's not like he wasn't already cautious and meticulous, but this plan was a lot more risky.

It was late when he finished. He shoved the guy’s corpse into the duffle bag he brought along, folding the tarp and putting it in with him. He shoved the hands and feet into his backpack so he could take them to get burned later.

As for the bucket, he stepped out to one of the nearby sewer covers, grabbing a piece of scrap metal to pry it open. Once he was sure there was rushing water under it, he dumped the contents of the bucket before replacing the cover. As soon as he was done with that, he left the bucket in one of the cars that was going to be crushed the following day. 

After double checking that everything was taken care of, he finally started on his way home, glad that for once he decided to drive.

* * *

When Nate returned home, he found Andy asleep on the couch, the TV running quietly. Normally Andy only did that when he was tired, worried, and Nate wasn't home. It made sense for him to be worried this time of course, but this habit was slightly annoying since Nate didn't like sleeping alone after having Andy around for so long. He had gotten used to Andy being in the bed with him, that now if he wasn't, Nate could barely sleep.

He sighed as he put his bags in the closet, before going to pick Andy up bridal style. Andy grumbled as he was moved, turning to bury his face in Nate’s chest. Nate shifted him slightly so he had a better grip before carrying him to their room. He set him down and went to go change, putting the clothes he had on under his jacket into the wash so Andy wouldn’t see any blood if Nate had gotten a bit messy. He tried his best to not get it on his clothes, but even planning as much as he did, there could be small mistakes.

After showering, Nate went to lay down with Andy, only to be surprised when Andy spoke up. “You’re back late,” he said, stifling a yawn as he shifted to be closer to Nate, wrapping an arm around him.

“Sorry I woke you, darling,” Nate said as he moved to press a quick kiss to Andy’s nose.

That made Andy light up, a tired smile spreading on his face, “It’s fine. Did you get everything you needed?”

“Yes.” Before Andy could ask any more questions, Nate kissed him again, this time on lips, cutting him off. “Go back to sleep, tomorrow we need to set everything up. If you’re tired something might get messed up.”

Andy grumbled out an ‘alright’ before pulling Nate closer and closing his eyes. He laid there quietly, his breathe eventually evening out as he drifted off.

Nate sighed as he let himself relax. Soon Andy would be safe and they wouldn’t have to worry anymore. But right now, he needed him to do exactly what he said and that doesn’t always settle with Andy well, so he was risking a lot trying to control this situation. But it was a risk worth taking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished the first draft like a week ago but I wanted my partner to check it and when he did he suggested I expand on stuff more so I did. And then this chapter got really long so I'm splitting it into two. The next chapter should be out within the next week or two, I just need to finish editing it.


	3. The Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it is finally the day to put the plan into action.

It was the day. After a month and a few days of planning, Nate and Andy were finally going to plant the false evidence that would convince people that Andy was dead.

And Andy was definitely worried. He paced about the living room, biting at his thumb as he walked from wall to wall. He woke up not long after Nate, a rare occurrence as he was usually up first.

Nate had gotten up first because he had to get everything ready. He needed to make sure he had everything and a bit more in case anything went wrong. 

Andy was still pacing by the time Nate finished. He had been biting at his thumb long enough that it started to bleed. When Nate saw that, he approached Andy and stopped a foot in front of him. He gently grabbed Andy’s hands, pulling the one near his mouth away. He interlocked their fingers and moved to try and look Andy in the eye. “Have you eaten?” Nate asked, trying to get his attention off the plan so he would calm down.

When Nate grabbed his hands, Andy had stopped moving and turned to look him in the eyes. “No, not yet,” he said, starting to slouch as some of the tension seemed to disperse. He cast a glance down to their hands, a soft sigh escaping him.

“You should before you forget,” Nate said as he gently started to run his thumbs over Andy’s knuckles. “Skipping meals isn't good for you.”

“I know,” Andy grumbled as he looked up again. A smile started forming on his face as he stared at Nate, the bit of worry that was still evident on his face fading away. He pressed a quick kiss to Nate’s cheek before pulling his hands away and heading for the kitchen. Andy would no doubt start worrying about it again, but as long as Nate could keep him calm, they’d be fine.

As soon as Andy was finished eating, Nate explained what he had to do. He wanted Andy go to the store and pick up a few small things so others would see him out and about. They could use the groceries as props, dropping the bag and kicking it to make it seem like there was a struggle. He also made sure Andy knew to meet him in one of the alleys that was a shortcut back to their place. The alley wasn't a busy one so Nate would have plenty of time, but they did have to be careful. 

He also had to make sure Andy knew if anyone asked what he was doing this weekend, he had to say he was going to be watching movies with Nate. Just make it seem like he was going about his life as normally as he could. He made Andy repeat what he told him at least six times just to make sure Andy knew exactly what he was supposed to do.

* * *

While Andy was at the grocery store, Nate started planting the evidence. More specifically, the body. He had to be quick about it because he couldn't let Andy see him with it. 

He dragged the corpse to the sewer entrance, forcing the cover off and dropping it down. He grabbed gloves and the container that they stored Andy’s blood in from his backpack, making sure the hands and feet of the dead man were tucked under a plastic bag. He meant to get rid of them this morning, but he didn't have time to since he was dealing with Andy. He really loved the other man, but sometimes he messed up Nate’s plans unintentionally. Nate knew that would happen when he allowed Andy into his life, but he was willing to deal with it. 

Carefully he climbed down into the sewer and started to work on spreading a bit of the blood on the wounds and along the sewer floor to make it seem like Andy was thrown down there and shoved into the rushing sewer water. As soon as he was done spreading the blood on the body, he shoved it into the water so it would go out to sea. He climbed out of the sewer, planning to go back in to put any left over blood down there if there was any left over.

As time passed, he was starting to wonder just where Andy was.

It wasn’t that Nate didn’t trust Andy to do what he needed to do… He just didn’t want Andy to risk messing it up as there was quite a bit on the line.

Instead of just waiting for Andy to get there, he started spreading the last of the blood on the cement of the alleyway. He might as well get it done sooner rather than later so he didn’t risk someone coming down the alleyway.

Nate froze when he heard footsteps, quickly moving to check around the corner to see who was coming. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was just Andy. He stepped away from the wall and got back to work.

When Andy came around the corner and saw Nate, he tensed up, being caught off guard by the blood. When he remembered  _ what _ they were doing, he took a deep breath and sighed, slowly relaxing.

“Hey,” he said softly. He carefully approached Nate, avoiding stepping in the blood that was already spread on the floor, “Do you need me to help at all?”

“No, I got it. You need to put on the jacket and jeans I have in that bag. We don't need anyone recognizing you by your clothes,” he said, glancing up at Andy and smiling with a small shake of his head before getting right back to work. “Once you've changed, stay here and out of sight until I'm done.” Nate turned to climb back down into the sewer to spread the last of the blood while Andy moved to pull the clothes on over his.

When he finished, he sat on the ground just out of sight of any entrances to the alley. He noticed Nate brought along his backpack and he couldn’t help but be curious as to why Nate brought it, he had the duffle bag which had the clothes. Why did he need both bags?

He tried to ignore the thought as he waited. Last time he looked through any of Nate’s bags without being told he could, Nate seemed to be on edge for a few weeks, keeping his backpack and other things always in his sight. Andy found it odd, but he also didn't mind. He shouldn't have invaded Nate’s privacy by looking. He didn’t remember what Nate had in the bag, but he remembered Nate telling him not to do that again because if he had a surprise for Andy, Andy would have spoiled it for himself and where’s the fun in that.

Thankfully, Nate came back up a minute later and walked over to him. He took the gloves off, turning them inside out. He grabbed his backpack and shoved them into the front pocket before pulling it over his shoulder. Andy almost asked about it, but Nate turned away from him before he could.

Andy watched as Nate pulled his jacket sleeve over his hand and took the bag of groceries Andy had brought along. He dumped its contents onto the floor so it looked like Andy dropped them when he was attacked. 

Andy just watched quietly until Nate turned to him and offered him a hand up. Nate started down the alleyway, talking quietly as he instructed Andy on the last things they needed to do. “When we get to the last turn, I want you to wait there for a few. I'm going to go home, I want you to go down a few houses and go to the back and make your way home from there. If you go in through the front, and someone sees you, it might tip people off. Okay?”

“Okay,” Andy said, nodding, “Go down a few blocks and head in through the back. And don't let anyone see me.” He knew to repeat the instructions so that way Nate could correct him if he needed to. When Nate didn't, Andy smiled, being kind of proud that he was able to get the gist of what he was supposed to do right away. It wasn’t often that he got it first try with no clarification needed.

Nate pressed a kiss to Andy’s cheek. “Correct,” he said, smiling at how happy that seemed to make Andy, as well as being glad that he was able to get it right right away. He zipped up the duffel bag after dropping the container into it and slung it over his shoulder. He started walking down the alley, walking slowly so Andy could walk next to him.

Once they were at the last part to the alley, Nate stopped him. “Remember,” he said, making sure Andy was paying attention, before continuing, “wait, then go around.” He couldn't have Andy messing this up or what they did would be fruitless. 

Andy nodded again, a soft giggle coming from him as Nate pressed a quick kiss to his lips. After Nate pulled away, he sat down and smiled up at him to try and reassure him. Nate couldn't help but return the smile before starting out of the alley. He was going to throw people off by going to the gas station down the street before heading home. That would also give Andy a bit of time to go down a few blocks and not make Nate wait as long. 

* * *

Once Nate was home, it was only a few more minutes before Andy was at the back door, the hood of the jacket pulled up. Nate sighed with relief, going to let him in. He smiled at him as he offered a small bit of praise, “Good job, love. Now we just wait until tonight, then I'll call in and say you're missing.”

He had moved away from Andy so he could take off his own jacket and put his backpack away, but when he glanced back at him, he could tell Andy was uneasy. It wasn’t a surprise, of course, Andy wasn’t used to doing stuff like this. And after he got over the joy of being praised, he’d start to worry. There was a lot at risk and that would no doubt be on Andy’s mind. He was still standing at the back door, gripping his arm and gently rubbing his thumb over the fabric of the jacket as he stared at the floor.

“Why don't you go get into more comfortable clothes then we can watch some movies until then,” Nate suggested, moving closer and tilting his head sideways and leaning forward so he could look up at Andy’s eyes.

When Andy noticed, he looked up and let out a soft hum of acknowledgement. He tried to smile so he didn’t seem as uneasy, but they both knew Nate could see through it. “I’m gonna take a quick shower,” he muttered, his voice just barely audible.

After Andy shuffled out of the room, leaving the jacket on the back of the couch, Nate went to the kitchen to make them both something for dinner since Andy’s “quick” showers were actually a bit long. But that was alright, they had quite a bit of time to kill before Nate needed to make the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter? Done.  
> Crops? Watered.  
> Hotel? Trivago.
> 
> I haven't started on the next chapter yet, I only have the outline. Midterms are coming up so it might be a while before I get it done, but I do plan to get it up before the end of March, mid April at the latest.


	4. Leaving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nate finally gets Andy to agree to leave.

“Andy, we need to move,” Nate said, one arm crossed over his chest, the other rubbing his temple. He was trying to get Andy to start packing, having just finished explaining that they needed to move. 

The plan had worked, the police found the corpse about a week after Nate reported Andy as missing. Andy had stayed home for the following weeks, but he was getting antsy and Nate could see that. It didn't help that he had to take Andy’s phone so the man didn't contact a former friend and blow it—he should have thrown Andy’s phone into the sewer too.

“I don't want to. I have friends and family here,” Andy said, his own arms crossed over his chest as he glared up at Nate with a pout. He sat on their bed with his legs crossed, almost like a child who didn't want to go with their parent to the store. “I like my job. I like it here.”

Nate sighed as he walked over and sat down by him. “I've told you, you can't see them ever again. They need to think you're dead. If they don't the police will come and get you.”

“I don't want to leave, Nate,” Andy said with a frown as he left himself fall over so he was leaning into Nate. 

“I know you don't, but you don't want to have to stay inside for the rest of your life, do you?” Nate asked as he wrapped his arms around Andy. He ran a hand through his hair as he leaned over to look down at him. When Andy sighed and shook his head, Nate smiled softly. “We’ll find somewhere nice. You can get a new job in a music store. Maybe we can get a dog or two,” he said trying to cheer up the man in his arms.

And at the mention of dogs, Andy seemed to smile, “Can we get a basset hound?”

Nate let out a laugh at how easily Andy brightened up at just the idea of getting a dog, “Sure.” Nate pressed a kiss to Andy’s forehead before letting the older man go so he could get up. He stretched before looking back to Andy, “I’m going to start packing, try to pack as much as you can tonight, I have boxes out in the hall closet. I want to try and leave in the next couple of days so you don't have to stay cooped up inside much longer.”

“Okay,” Andy sighed out and nodded before getting off the bed.

Nate had turned in his two weeks notice almost two weeks ago, citing the loss of Andy as his reason for leaving, planning to move away to get away from it. Nate was glad Andy gave into the moving idea because if he refused, Nate was going to have to make him. He didn't want to force him, but he knew it would be better for Andy—for both of them—in the long run. He knew Andy was probably going to put up more of a fight later on, but for now he agreed and for now that's all that mattered.

* * *

Nate returned from his last day of work to find Andy curled up on the couch, a pillow hugged to his chest and a blanket pulled over himself, looking all pouty as he stared at the Switch’s screen. He didn't have to ask to know why he was like this, but he wasn’t going to point it out either. “Everything packed?” Nate asked as he set down his backpack and shed his jacket, dropping it on top of the bag.

Andy glanced up from the Switch and nodded. The TV had been packed up, the bed frame dismantled, all the silverware in the kitchen packed away, all ready to be loaded up onto a trailer Nate had rented so they can move it themselves. 

“Do we really have to go?” Andy asked as he sat up, leaving the pillow on the couch, the blanket falling into his lap. He set the game console down as he stared up at Nate. 

Nate sighed, “Yes, Andy. It’s for your safety. For  _ our  _ safety.” Nate slowly approached Andy, his arms crossed over his chest, as he rose an eyebrow. “Unless you really want to go to prison? I could let people know you’re here.”

Andy’s eyes went wide at the mention of prison. He shook his head as he moved to get up. “No, no. I don’t want to. I don’t-” he stopped himself and took a deep breath, making himself calm down before he could get worked up. “I don’t want to go to prison,” he said slowly, “but I like it here.” He looked up at Nate, a frown set on his face.

A small smile formed on Nate’s face as he watched Andy keep himself under control. He moved over to him and pulled him into a hug, Andy almost instantly relaxing into his touch. “I know, love,” he cooed as he gently rubbed Andy’s back, trying to reassure him. 

When Andy continued to slouch in Nate’s grip, he tried a different tactic. “Andrew, do you really want to stay here? Where you’re no longer able to see your friends? Not able to go outside? Can’t go to music stores?” he reminded him, pulling away slightly so he could make Andy look him in the eyes.

Andy sighed as he moved to wrap his arms around Nate and hid his face in his neck, mumbling a soft, “No.”

“You trust me, don’t you?” He waited for Andy to nod before continuing, “Then trust me to find a place we’ll both like and where we can live happily together.”

Andy mumbled out an okay against the fabric of Nate’s shirt before pulling away and repeating himself so Nate could better hear him. He returned the smile when Nate started to smile. Nate knew it wasn’t genuine and that Andy was still hesitant, but they didn’t have a choice, they needed to leave.

* * *

Andy came back in to get more boxes, stopping to sit down on the armrest of the couch to take a breath. He stretched, letting the hood of the hoodie fall off his head as a yawn forced its way up. Nate followed not too far behind Andy, watching him quietly for a moment before leaning against the couch next to him. “Why don’t you go take a nap in the back of the car and I’ll finish loading the rest,” Nate said as he leaned over to press a kiss to Andy’s cheek.

A small smile formed on Andy’s face. “I’m fine. I can keep helping,” he said as he tried to stifle another yawn.

Nate choked back a laugh as he hugged him. “You’ve already been a big help. There’s only a few more boxes. It won’t take me long.”

Andy sighed and let out a reluctant ‘fine’ before getting up. He quickly pecked Nate on the cheek before putting the hood back up and heading out to the car.

Nate waited patiently for Andy to leave the house before heading back to the bedroom. He went into the closet and lightly lit the wall until one of the wood panels that lined the lower half of the small room popped off. He moved it out of the way before pulling the box of his tools out.

He double checked that everything in it was secure before closing it back up and taping it shut with a few layers of tape. He figured if Andy found it while unpacking, the extra tape would deter him from looking into it. If he asked about it Nate could just say it was an older box that had been falling apart and the tape was to hold it together.

He carried his box out on top of the last box, putting it into the trailer and locking it before going to lock the house. Nate had to stop by the landlady’s house to leave the key in the mailbox before they could leave. He had already talked to her about getting some of the months rent back. She had been very understanding when Nate told her about Andy’s passing. After that, they were home free. Nate had already looked into a few apartments and other places they could rent up in Oregon until they were properly settled in.

He settled down into the driver’s seat and let out a heavy sigh. He glanced back to check on Andy, seeing the older man curled up haphazardly on the back seats with a blanket pulled pretty much completely over himself with the exception of his head. He still had the hood pulled up to obscure his face in case anyone had walked by the car. He was glad Andy listened to him about trying to stay hidden. He was, however, surprised to see one of the seatbelts wrapped awkwardly around Andy’s waist and buckled in. He figured Andy did it so he wouldn’t have to wake him when he was ready to leave.

He waited for a few to see if Andy got up at all before finally turning back and starting the car. They had a long ride ahead of them, but at this point, they were probably ready for anything. Sure Andy would still complain about the move. He’d want to try and move back to Los Angeles no matter how many times Nate explained to him that they couldn’t. But he would adjust eventually. And as long as no one learned who Andy was, or what Nate did, they would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAnd done.  
> I'm actually really happy that I was able to write a multichapter fic and finish it.


End file.
